Thursday, September 29, 2011

This is the day of the week
where we get to know each other better by answering a
question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee &
Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each
other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new
follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this
week's question....

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you
most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast
as your favorite character?

Wow this is a tough question! So for my followers who follow me for my YA books this one is not for you. This is for my followers who love Dungeons and Dragons. I am going to pick the Drizzt series. For those who want to know more about this here is the wikipedia link : Drizzt series by RA Salvatore.

This series I think would be a wonderful fantasy series. There has already been a lot of artwork about the series, so the readers already have an idea of what the characters might look like. Here is some of the artwork.

Here is Drizzt the main character. He is a dark elf

I have seen a lot of people casting someone who is white to play Drizzt in a movie... but he is clearly of black skin. I like Wesley Snipes from when he did the blade movies. I think he would be perfect!

Here is Catti-bree. She is a human.... so Emma Watson with short hair would be perfect.

Here is Wulfgar (on the right) he is a human warrior
. He is sooo strong and when I saw the movie Thor I know Chris Hemsworth was perfect!

So these are my choices... not sure who has read this series but I would love to know who you would cast in this movie!!

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”
Click here for 2010-11 list in PDF format. You can also click HERE to view past years and choose from any of those titles!

Well that is easy for me! Hunger Games!

Ok well happy Follow Me Friday. Be sure to leave me a comment so I can go and check yours out!!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Here is the 2000-2009 banned books! I think it is very sad that there are even books that are censored in our society! I thought I would go through the list and highlight all the books I have read on this list. Be sure to check out their site! Banned Books

110. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

109. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

108. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

107. Crank by Ellen Hopkins

106. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

105. Lush by Natasha Friend

104. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

103. Nickel and Dimeby Barbara Ehrenreich

102. Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie

101. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

100. America by E. R. Frank

99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

98. I Saw Esau by Iona Opte

97. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

96. Grendel by John Gardner

95. Shade’s Children by Garth Nix
94. Goosebumps by R. L. Stine
93. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
91. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Graighead George
90. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
89. Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissenger
88. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
87. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
86. Cut by Patricia McCormick
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
84. So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Watkins
83. Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds
82. Deal With It! by Esther Drill
81. Black Boy by Richard Wright
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
79. The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
78. The Joy of Gay Sex by Dr. Charles Silverstein
77. Crazy by Benjamin Lebert
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
75. Anastasia (series) by Lois Lowry74. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
73. What’s Happening to My Body by Lynda Madaras
72. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
71. Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park
70. Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen69. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
68. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
67. A Time To Kill by John Grisham
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
65. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
64. Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park
63. The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney
62. The Stupids (series) by Harry Allard
61. Draw Me A Star by Eric Carle60. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
59. Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
58. Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going
57. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
56. When Dad Killed Mom by Julius Lester
55. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Green
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves by Brock Cole
53. You Hear Me? by Betsy Franco
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
51. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan50. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
48. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by George Beard
46. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
45. Crazy Lady by Jane Leslie Conly
44. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
43. Blubber by Judy Blume
42. The Fighting Ground by Avi
41. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
40. Life is Funny by E. R. Frank
39. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
38. Arming America by Michael Bellasiles
37. It’s So Amazing by Robie Harris
36. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
35. Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
34. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
33. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
32. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones
30. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
29. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
28. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
27. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier
26. Beloved by Toni Morrison
25. Killing Mr. Griffen by Lois Duncan
24. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak23. The Giver by Lois Lowry
22. Gossip Girl (series) by Cecily von Ziegesar21. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
20. King and King by Linda de Haan19. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
18. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
17. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
16. Forever by Judy Blume15. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
13. Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
12. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
11. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series) by Lauren Myracle8. His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman
7. Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwart
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson3. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
2. Alice (series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor1. Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Just finished reading this book for my Young Adult Book Club's September book club pick! Here is the goodreads description:

A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

I really thought this book was unique.
It was different then most YA Books I have been
reading lately. I thought that the world that the author created was
neat. I could really imagine the surroundings while reading. I did
have a problem again though with the parents. Another YA Book that just
removes the parents so the story can not have them involved. Sick of
that.I enjoyed the pictures
and thought that made for a real interesting book. These pictures are what made me pick the book up and read it so fast. I found myself looking forward to whatever the next picture in the book was going to be. And I found it interesting that these pictures are real, found at flea markets. The author has said only two of the pictures have been altered (I am dying to know which two).
I was kinda bummed when I found out that there is going to be a sequel. I love how the book ended and am disappointed that there is going to be another one. Everything seems to have to be a series anymore.

Spoilers: to be honest I thought this book was going to be more of a horror book but instead it was just a bunch of kids who are called peculiar people which reminded me a lot of Xmen and mutants. So this would kinda be like Xavier's school for the Xmen. It was a peculiar book!!But I found it interesting that this loop keeps kids the same
everyday. I think though the Bird was selfish though. She couldn't
removed the kids from that spot so they wouldn't die from the bomb and
then their lives would've went on. But she insisted they live the same
day over and over. The dead kid upstairs was CRAZY! The boy who
murdered the little dolls he created-crazy! I think the kids started to
just think that they could do whatever.

I couldn't really tell the age of the kids. After seeing the
last picture in the book of Emma and Jacob's grandfather she seemed to
more 17 or 18. But while reading the book everyone seemed like they
were 10. The loop was confusing when they could travel around in
different loops. What I mean by that is.. so they travel to Jacob's
current world in the loop their in and so they age. So does that mean
they always have to travel through loops before their time (since they
are on the hunt for another loop right?)

End Spoilers

I enjoyed the pictures
and thought that made for a real interesting book. I was a little
surprised that Jacob left his family though. But it seemed he didn't
have a good family life anyways. I like how the book ended up in the
air. Very Stephen King-ish. He does this a lot. Though now we will
venture with them to find a new loop and save the birds.

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before- published Sookie Stackhouse story!
There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherwordly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself.
Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes.

I have really enjoyed all the books of anthologies that have been edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. They find some great authors and set up a theme where these authors write little short stories about the theme. This book did not let me down. In fact, one story made me want to go out and read one of the authors series! I loved the humor in this book.

I will say the Sookie Stackhouse short story was OK. That is probably one of the main reasons that someone is going to buy this book. I kinda would like to see Harris write a short story about something other then Sookie. But she only has two more books so one can only hope.

Can't wait to see what the next anthology will be about!! Here are the other anthologies everyone should check out!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Just want to let my fellow Nook users that Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen is FREE on the Nook. I am not sure about the Kindle or other ereaders but it doesn't hurt for those who own one to look!
ENJOY!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Yes I know... I am behind on reading this book. I kept wanting to read it sooner because I saw it all over the book blogs, but it was because everyone was somehow getting ARC copies and I just couldn't get my hands on one. So I finally just got it from the library. At first when I saw the length of the book I was kinda disappointed. I am so tired of these books that are trilogies before they are even published and since this was the start of one I was really bummed. Then I started to read it and LOVED it. Got through the book pretty fast.

I did sometimes get a little feel of the Hunger Games. There were districts in that trilogy and factions in this one. But no love triangle in this one which is GREAT! Lots and lots of action. Kinda non-stop action. I do wish it had slowed down a little more at different parts. I am very curious what the next book will be about?

The author Veronica Roth has a great blog! It isn't just about her book it is about life, you should check it out:Veronica Roth

Thursday, September 8, 2011

This is the day of the week
where we get to know each other better by answering a
question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee &
Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each
other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new
follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this
week's question....

Q. Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one?

I just skimmed all the books I have read on my goodreads list and didn't really see any villains I wanted to win. I guess instead there are villains I have felt bad for. For example, I truly felt bad for Cujo. He is just a dog who got rabies and didn't want to kill his owners and couldn't understand why he was attacking people. :(

Q. “Many of us primarily
read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped
writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you
give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?”

Hopefully I will never give up reading completely. Right now I mainly read young adult books. I don't know why it ended up that way either. If I couldn't read that genre of books anymore I would probably turn to classics. I don't read enough of them and try to squeeze one in.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

So I thought I would give this series a go! Here is the goodreads description:

As the bloody Human-Covenant War rages on Halo, the fate of humankind may rest with one warrior, the lone SPARTAN survivor of another legendary battle . . . the desperate, take-no-prisoners struggle that led humanity to Halo--the fall of the planet Reach. Now, brought to life for
the first time, here is the full story of that glorious, doomed conflict.

Yea I know terribly short description! As some of you may know I love love love this video game. So a friend of mine owed the books based of the game and I decided to try it out. I'll admit that I really enjoyed learning about the main character of the games, Master Chief. It was an exciting story about his origins. This book was mainly sci-fi so we get to see the human race try to deal with aliens or "the Covenant" take over human planets. This is the first time I have read a novel about war, and I will admit that I didn't enjoy the war sections of the book. I just thought that part was kinda boring. So and so loads his weapon, so and so keeps the ship in space, so and so fixes his uniform. Just not interested in that kind of a story.

I do hate the art work on this book. I mean how simple can you get? Cheap looking art work to me, and why? Because it is a book based off a video game? Anyways... you can always find me on Xbox Live my gamertag is Estel0212. If you want to join up and game with me! Oh and here is my character on Halo....